Hope For the Hopeless
by LadyGuilt
Summary: Shortly after Harry, Ron and Hermione seeks shelter at Shell Cottage, Bill makes Ginny the offer of a lifetime. Will she join them, or will she let what might be her last opportunity to be with Harry pass her by? [One Shot.]


**Disclaimer: **I'm not affiliated to J K Rowling. Harry Potter does not belong to me. No money was gained on the making and/or distribution of this Fanfiction. Characters, places and event are completely fictional and meant for entertainment purposes only. Any similarity with reality is completely coincidental.

**AN: **This story had not been beta Read. English is not my first language, so I apologize for all mistakes in spelling and grammar. I'm currently in the market for a beta, so if anyone is interest, please contact me.

This story takes place in the middle of book six. Feedback is really appreciated.

Please Enjoy!

**~o~**

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**Hope For The Hopeless**

**~o~**

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The light of the single candle in the room was flickering madly, and Ginny knew it would die out at any moment, but she didn't bring herself to light up another. In fact, she was looking forward to the moment the room would plunged into darkness.

News about Harry and her brother had finally reached them. And this time at least they were good news. They were safe and sound at Bill's and Fleur's place, Shell Cottage. Of course, them being them, they had not appeared there empty handed. With them had come her best friend, Luna, who had been taken over Christmas' Holidays in an attempt to silence her father, owner and publisher of the _Quibbler_. As far as Ginny knew, the Death Eaters had succeed on that. Her ex boyfriend, Dean Thomas had been rescued as well, though she didn't have the details of his capture. Dean had gone missing months previously, by his own choice, after the Ministry, under their new management, had started to persecute muggle born wizards. They had also saved a goblin and Garrick Ollivander, the famous wand maker. But Ginny was hazy on the details about them too, and frankly, she hadn't asked either.

She knew she should be feeling happy, and she was. For the most part at least. She was relieved that Ron, Hermione and Harry were still in one piece, still together and above all else, they were alive. But there was a bigger part of her that was angry, and tired. Hopelessness and despair were overshadowing almost all good feelings she might have had.

Yes, they were safe, but they weren't home. None of them were.

The candle died just as a knock on the door was heard. She rasped out a soft 'Come in," before turning her face once more towards the window. The view from it was an alien one. She might have visited Aunt's Muriel house while growing up, but she had never stayed more than a couple of hours. Now she was a house guest. She was a prisoner.

At another time, in another lifetime, the voice of her older brother Bill would have caused nothing but joy. Now as he came inside the tiny room, the affection on his voice only made her wince inwardly. "Hey, Sprite." He frowned at the darkness in the room, and without words took of his wand and light the candle once more. As the soft light bathed the room, he took a moment to observed his little sister. Facing the window, knees drawn all the way to her chest, with her cheek resting on top of it, Ginny didn't look more than ten. "You missed dinner."

Trying to keep all her dark thought to herself, she turned to face Bill, locks of red hair falling over her eyes as she did. "I wasn't hungry." Which they both knew was a lie. Weasleys were always hungry. "Thought you left already. What with your new house guests and all."

He arched a brow, but didn't reply to that right away. Instead, he sat next to her on the window seat. "I wanted to talk to you about that."

Sitting straight, she stared at her brother stonily. "Too late. Mom already did. _Now don't be getting any ideas, Ginny_." She said, in the best imitation of her mother she could do. "_Just because Ron is staying at Bill's, means that you can go over there to bother._" She sniffed in disgust, and rolled her shoulders, trying to will her mother's harsh words away.

Bill shook his head, though there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Yeah, well, mom got one thing right. It's my house." At Ginny's questioning look, he elaborated. "I was actually going to ask you to move with me before they arrived, Ginny. I know you are not happy been stuck in this house with nothing to do and being under constant scrutiny from both mom and Aunt Muriel."

Ginny appreciated the gesture, she did. But the thought of being cooped up in a house with Fleur instead made her stomach twist into knots. Sure, she might not be as resentful towards the french woman anymore, and she might have come to accept that the part veela did indeed, love her brother, but they would never be best friends. "But now they are there." Ginny said, not sure where Bill was going with the conversation.

"But if you don't mind sleeping in the living room for awhile, I would really like it if you come now."

She starred at him for a moment, speechless. After making sure she did heard him correctly, she spoke. "But what about Harry and Ron?"

"Look, you are not seven. No matter what mom thinks. Besides, I'm sure all of them would be glad to see you, if one more than the others."

They had always understood each other. Despite the ten years difference between them, or maybe because of it, the bond Ginny and Bill shared was stronger than what they had with the rest of their siblings. Which is why Ginny understood precisely what Bill was offering her right now, and why.

Every part of her being was screaming at her to say yes, to take this opportunity that she knew would never repeat itself. Yet, as much as Ginny was dying to go to Harry, to simply see him, she knew she wouldn't. "I can't," she gave Bill a sad smile when he looked surprised at her refusal. "Harry and I, we have an understanding." Harry hadn't given her much choice in the matter when he broke up with her at Dumbledore's funeral, but she hadn't pushed. She had understood what it cost him to leave her. Understood that he wouldn't do anything else. But because she knew him, Ginny was aware that it would take very little to get him to change his mind, if only momentarily and then, both of them would suffer more.

"I never thought you to give up that easily." Bill say casually, trying to get a rise out of her.

But Ginny understood her brother well too, so she only chuckled. "I'm not. Big picture here, Bill." She said, reaching towards him and clasping her hand on his. "I love him." It was weird to confess that aloud when she spent years denying it. When she hadn't even told the boy in question. "But I can't take pieces of him. Nor can he of me. Is all or nothing with us, it always have been. So I'll stay put and wait and where all this is over, well," she trailed off and shrugged, because at the moment she couldn't look past the war, the pain and the deaths. "We'll see where we stand then."

Feeling the coldness slipping inside of her once more, Ginny squeezed Bill's hand, then let go, bringing her arms to cross over her chest, trying to keep the darkness away.

Bill looked like he was about to argue, probably ready to point out that if she didn't reach out and take this opportunity now, there might not be a next time. One or both of them wouldn't make it to the aftermath of the war. But he must have known that Ginny was aware of that, so instead he nodded, and reached towards her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"That might not be that far off." Bill said, whether he meant that or was simply trying to cheer her up, Ginny wouldn't say. "I don't know what they have been doing. No one does. But I get the feeling they are close to complete whatever task Dumbledore let them, and then..."

He didn't finished, but then, he didn't need to. They both understood what was left unsaid. Harry would face the Dark Lord, one of them would fall and everything would change. One way or the other.

"Thanks, Bill." Ginny said after awhile, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. It hadn't been an awkward silence, it never was with them.

Bill nodded, kissing her forehead gently, before standing up. "Just hang in here for a little while longer, Gin." He murmured, his calloused hand stroking her cheek. "We'll be home soon. All of us."

Ginny nodded, even though she knew that was the only promise Bill would never keep. She knew the chances of all of them making it pass the war were slim, and slipping by the second. But what was the point on dwelling on it? She smiled at her brother instead and nodded. "I'll be fine. Besides, fussing about me makes them feel better." Bill chuckled, left another kiss on her hair this time, and turned to walk away. "Hey, Bill." She called, stopping him before he could leave the room. "Just.. take care of them. All of them."

"I will." He promised, then left.

Ginny stared at the space he had been standing, hoping that was enough. Hoping she had made the right choice instead of throwing the last chance she might have to be with Harry, with her friends. _Doesn't matter_, she said to herself firmly. _What's done is done. _

Pushing herself away from the seat at the window, she flopped down in bed face first, feeling surprisingly lighter than she did when Bill came in. Yeah, she would wait, Ginny thought again, turning on her back and brushing her hair away from her face, until the moment the real fight starts, and then, well she would be damned if they try to make her sit on the sidelines.

"Soon." She murmured to the room at large. "We will be home soon."

~o~

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**FIN**

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AN(2): If you made it this far, thank you! I hope you enjoy this story. Questions, comments, suggestions are more than welcome. If you want to contact me, feel free to do so via review (I try to reply to all of them), PM. If you are on twitter my UN is iLadyGuilt. Livejournal? I'm under LadyGuilt.

Thank you so much for reading this, don't forget to let me know what you thought! -leaves a tray of virtual chocolate chip cookies.-

LadyGuilt


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